


Double Take

by Twiliger



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hollywood, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Double Take, M/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-05 21:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1832125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twiliger/pseuds/Twiliger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoro is considered the best of the best in Hollywood when it comes to swordsmanship, so it's no wonder he's the sword fight trainer for the new action summer blockbuster. But the stunt double for the movie's lead is about to make Zoro's life a little more interesting. Modern Zosan AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Jump

It was a busy day in Hollywood; it felt like every single set was being used that day from the sheer amount of people.

Zoro weaved in and out of props and cameras, dodging a film crew as he searched for the exit to this set. He could have sworn he’d already been to this set, but that’d mean he’d gone in a circle, and that couldn’t be right because that would mean Zoro was lost. He flung open the back metal door into the California sunshine, walking into the already bustling court.

Palm trees were sprouted here and there outside the large film-set buildings. Two men carried a large Paris-scene backdrop while another man slowly drove a truck with a caged snarling tiger in the back through the crowd. A group of men in burlesque drag giggled and chatted as they passed Zoro. Hollywood was so weird, Zoro still wasn’t sure how he had ended up here, but all in all Zoro couldn’t say he disliked the place.

Zoro peered down at his watch as he ran and cursed himself. Yeah, he was so late. Zoro didn’t have time to look up from his wrist when a body slammed into his and luke-warm liquid was splashed all over his front side.

“Oi watch where you’re going commoner!” The man shrieked as he pushed Zoro aside.

Zoro stepped back with his arms out, lips drawn into a snarl as he looked down at his now coffee stained shirt. Coffee had even found its way up Zoro’s nose and was burning like crazy, making his eyes water. Pinching his nose painfully, Zoro didn’t have a chance to get a good look at the blond that had so rudely ran into him, who was already hustling away and jumping into a nearby parked golf cart.

“Fuck you too buddy.” Zoro called after the perpetrator.

Sighing, Zoro ran a hand through his hair, then dragging it down to wipe dripping coffee off his face. He didn’t have time for this shit; he needed to get his ass to set B3. He was supposed to meet his new client, a new stunt double, with Usopp.

After another minute of running, and by some miracle, Zoro managed to find the set: outside in the sun, a large ‘abandoned’ ware house. The building was huge and looked like complete shit thanks to movie magic, the top most part was just rusting scaffolding that looked like it was barely managing to hold up the decaying concrete roof.

Not far off, Usopp was sitting in his director’s chair as usual, looking up at the roof as he talked into his ever present head set. Zoro jogged over to him.

“Hey man, sorry I’m late.” Usopp waved him off, finally taking his eyes off the roof to look at Zoro. He barked out a small laugh, failing to cover up his giggling with his hand when he saw Zoro’s coffee-covered state.

“Nice shirt.” Usopp snickered. Zoro shot him a glare that made Usopp’s mouth audibly snap shut.

“Can it. I miss anything?” Zoro growled.

 “Eh, not really. We’re just experimenting with some possible camera angles for the building jump scene. Speaking of which…” Usopp began talking into his headset again, babbling some incoherent director-language to his camera men, and then looking around him to get a thumbs up from his camera crew.

“Tell Mr. Black we’re ready when he is.” Usopp said into the speaker. Putting his hand on the microphone Usopp looked up to Zoro and said with a grin, “You’re about to see your client in action.” There were three loud and obnoxious beeps signaling the camera man from in the building.

A few seconds later, a man came sprinting off the side of the building, jumping high off the ledge like he was jumping into a pool. Zoro could only hold his breath. Golden hair flying wildly could barely obstruct the view of a wide and winning grin. Zoro had never known that falling off a building could look so graceful.

The fall only lasted four seconds, the man landing neatly on his mark, now hidden in a pillow of the blue high-fall airbag. Beside Zoro, Usopp reached down for his megaphone.

“Nice fall Mr. Black, we got the shots we need! Everyone take 10.” Zoro watched as Mr. Black emerged from the airbag. He was still grinning from ear to ear, fixing tousled hair into an obnoxious style that covered his right eye, like some weird fashion trend. The man was tall and looked well built for someone so skinny; he led with his hips that gave him an odd but cocky posture.

There was something familiar about the blond that Zoro didn’t realize until the man reached where he and Usopp were standing.

“Hey you’re the stupid bastard who spilled coffee all over me!” Zoro yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the stunt man. The grin on the man’s face completely disappeared, his once wide blue eyes faded into a disinterested haze as his hand lazily dug into his black pocket.

“What the fuck are you talking about, shit head?” He said in a dead pan voice, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it between his lips. His calm demeanor pissed Zoro off even more. He could feel Usopp tugging slightly at his shirt but ignored it.

“Ummm Zoro…” Zoro stepped into the blond’s personal space.

“What the fuck am I talking about?! Outside that set, you ran into me you son of a bitch, you could at least fucking apologize!”

“Hey, Zoro, listen.” Usopp tried but the stunt man stepped closer to Zoro, completely blocking the whimpering director. The blonde took a drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke into Zoro’s face, causing him cough slightly but Zoro refused to look away.

“Wasn’t. Me.” The guy was starting to look seriously pissed, which pleased Zoro in some weird way. Zoro stood a little taller to try to look down on Mr. Black. He noticed the stunt double’s eye was twitching like he had a vein ready to pop and then realized that the guy had a swirl at the end of his thin eyebrow.

“Curly cue.” Zoro sneered with a smirk. The other man’s visible eye widened and he stood up slightly to try to match Zoro’s height.

“What’d you just call me, moss head?”

“Who you calling moss head, dart brow!” They were so close now that their teeth could almost touch, Zoro could faintly hear the man grinding his cigarette and taste the smoke in his mouth.

“Shitty plants-for-brains!”

“Swirly bastard!”

“YOUNG MASTER! IT’S ME, HANDSOME!” Suddenly, Zoro watched all the fight drain out of Mr. Black’s face. He gave Zoro a regretful look and slowly turned his head to watch as a golf cart came rolling up. Zoro felt his draw drop: the man driving the cart was definitely the guy who spilled coffee on him, and he looked ridiculously similar to Mr. Black.

The blond from the cart pulled Mr. Black close, who leaned away as much as possible. The new comer had one of those faces that was so ugly it was beautiful, which is what set him apart from Mr. Black, who had a much more natural and subtle appearance that was easier on the eyes. Not that Zoro thought the stunt double was handsome or anything.

Usopp came up from behind Zoro, loudly clearing his throat to pull Zoro’s attention away from the bizarre interaction between the two blonds.

“What I was trying to mention earlier was that Mr. Black has been at the set all morning. You must have run into Duval here, they have such a likeness: Mr. Black is his stunt double after all.” Zoro felt the blush traveling up his cheeks from embarrassment, mouth twitching slightly as he tried to pull his face into neutral.

“Well…. Shit…”He mumbled to himself. The Duval guy was practically shaking Mr. Black by the shoulders, causing the poor guys head to bounce like a bobble head.

“Oh young master I saw the jump from back there it was so incredible you’re so amazing I would have never been able to do that I’m too handsome thank goodness I have you you’re so cool!” Zoro wondered if Duval realized how much air he was wasting. Just then, a young lady nervously approached the golf cart, clutching to a notepad like her life depended on it.

“E-excuse me, Duval? You’re needed in costume, if you could just follow me, p-please.”

“Please, call me Handsome!” He turned back to Mr. Black. “Don’t worry young master we’ll be together again soon! Tah tah for now!” Then Duval jumped into the cart and slowly followed the behind girl, his over the top voice carrying above the background noise around him. Once Mr. Black regained his bearings he pivoted back to Zoro, an expectant and smug look on his face. Zoro shuffled in place awkwardly.

“I, uh, guess I owe you an apology, huh?” After a moment of reveling in Zoro’s embarrassment, Mr. Black shrugged and placed a cigarette in between his lips.

“Eh, wouldn’t be the first time I guess.” Zoro looked slightly behind the man to see the golf cart off in the distance, his view becoming more obstructed as more crew and cast members walked by.

“Is that guy… Always like that?” He wondered aloud.

“Oh yeah. He’s not too bad once you’ve known him for a while, he’s a simple but good guy.” Mr. Black responded with a slight shake of his head. Beside Zoro, Usopp jumped slightly as a message buzzed on his phone, frowning when he opened it.

“Ugh, I gotta go: Ace is having issues with setting up the lake house stage fire and says we might not be able to film it the way I wanted. See you two later!” With that, Usopp trotted off. In front of Zoro, Mr. Black casually flicked his lighter open to start his cigarette.

“So… I take it you’re Mr. Roronoa? Famous swords play trainer?”

“That’s me.” Zoro felt uncomfortable under the man’s stare, who made no attempt to hide that he was looking Zoro up and down with those dangerous blue eyes. After a moment, he held out an expecting hand.

“Gimme your phone.”

“Huh?”

“You know, a phone? Small, rectangular object that lets you call people from far away?” The amount of sarcasm in his voice was almost impossible.

“I know what a phone is!”Snapped Zoro, digging into his pockets to retrieve his phone and unlock it, handing it to the blond with a huff. The blond typed in a few numbers then tossed it back.

“That’s my number. Call me when you have available times for some sessions.” Then he added with a smirk, “And be ready to have your ass kicked.” Zoro snorted.

“You can try, curly.”

“It’s Sanji. And what do I call you? Sensei? _Master_?” Sanji let the last word roll of his tongue so that it took Zoro a second to process.

“You can call me Zoro. Just, Zoro.” The Blond smirked and turned to walk away. He lifted his head to call over his shoulder.

“I’m needed in set A5 in ten minutes so I have to go. I’ll see you around, Zoro.”

Zoro didn’t like the way his stomach tightened when Sanji said his name. He didn’t like the way he couldn’t bring himself to look away from the departing blond. The stunt double went from annoying prick to strangely alluring in a matter of minutes and it was messing with Zoro’s head.

Zoro slowly began walking towards the direction he believed his studio to be in. He hadn’t even begun lessons with the man and Zoro could already tell that this stunt double was going to be nothing but trouble for him.

 

 

 

A/N

Hello! This is my first fic ever so comments are super appreciated, I’d love to hear what people think! Constructive criticism is more than welcome.

 

 


	2. The Fight

Sanji leaned against his parked motor cycle in the shade of a palm tree, sleek blue helmet resting in the crook on his arm, chewing his unlit cigarette nervously. He held up his helmet for the third time, looking at his slightly warped reflection in the black mask, his ruffled expression meeting him once again.

Sighing, he fluffed his sun-warmed hair this way and that, pouting slightly with the results. He slipped off his leather jacket and slung it over his shoulder, then pulled it down, put it back up, pulled it down, and then couldn’t make up his mind and threw the abused jacket grumpily onto the seat of his motorcycle. Drumming his fingers uneasily on the head of the helmet he stared at the studio about a block ahead of him. The large windows along the side of the studio were tinted, preventing Sanji from seeing anything inside.

He pulled out his phone and searched for the messages under ‘Master Moss-head’. Zoro didn’t really say much: all his texts were curt and to the point. Sanji flicked his thumb and reread the most recent exchange of words.

            _I’m open any time starting 10 AM tomorrow._

_10 actually sounds perfect, I’ll see you then._

_See you then._

10 AM. The clock on his phone read 9:58. Sanji was petrified, his confidence from yesterday was gone. The daunting idea of seeing the swordsman again was hanging over his head.

Sanji thought that his new instructor was beautiful beyond reason; it had taken Sanji a few moments to gather himself when he first met the man. He winced mentally when he remembered how hot-headed he had been with the guy before, even if he _was_ justified. Those few minutes meeting Zoro had all melted together in the heat of the moment for Sanji; his mind had been a mushy mess.

‘ _Holy fucking shit this guy is hot.’_ Was all Sanji could manage when he met him. The foreign perfect tan, the mysterious scar over his left eye, incredible build and height; it made the man look like the overseas cousin of the main character to some dramatic soap opera. He had heard of Zoro before: a serious badass with a sword and top of the game in Hollywood. But Sanji had not been expecting someone so close in age, or someone his biceps that looked like they belonged on a marbled Greek statue.

Sanji remembered his parting words with the man, the way each word felt as they left his lips.

“ _What should I call you? Sensei?_ Master _?”_

He remembered exactly how he swayed his hips as he walked away, adding a little flare to each step. Sanji groaned to himself at his own stupidity; he was acting like a flirty moron. But for some reason he just couldn’t reign it in with Zoro.

The man had already pulled out so many emotions with him; Sanji was still reeling from their first encounter and just how easily Zoro broke his emotional floodgates. It made him want to fight back, to make Zoro feel the way he felt but he didn’t know how to. So not only was he about to go into a class with a man he was emotionally compromised with, he was probably about to make a huge fool of himself in sword fighting in front of a guy he had the hots for.

Sanji pocketed his phone and began shuffling towards the studio, grabbing his jacket and black duffle bag from the back of the bike. It was a cool day for California, but to Sanji he might as well have been walking through a desert. He spat out his ruined cigarette into a trash can along the way over.

He completely stopped when he reached the front door to take a deep breath and steeled himself to push open the door. A rush of cool air met Sanji’s face as he stepped inside, the scent of steel and sweat lingered in the chilled air. It was completely empty of people. The interior resembled a dojo Sanji had once visited in his championship tour visiting Japan. It was simple and open, mats completely covered the floor leading up to a wall of mirrors opposite of where Sanji was standing that reflected the outside from the windows. 

Sanji slipped off his shoes respectfully by the door next to his duffle bag and stepped warily walked onto the mats, looking at a wall that was covered in honors and awards. They all addressed Roronoa Zoro and the amount resting on the wall was staggering. For such a young man, Zoro had accomplished _a lot_.

Sanji jumped when he heard a door click open behind him and whipped around to see Zoro emerging from the entry way, an array of different swords cradled in his arms. The man looked shocked for a moment to see Sanji standing there, but then that damn stoic look returned to the swordsman’s sharp face.

“Hey.” Sanji managed, trying his damndest to seem suave and uncaring.

“Hey.” Zoro reciprocated, picking up a wooden kendo sword and handing it to Sanji. “So, ever use a sword before?”

“Eh, not really. I mean, I work with kitchen blades all the time if that counts.” Zoro glared at him.

“It doesn’t.”

“I don’t know, they’re both blades, there’s gotta be some similarities right?” Sanji chuckled at Zoro’s continued glare.

“Lighten up, Marimo, it’s a joke.” The swordsman’s eye widened and his face fell into a brief moment of confusion and embarrassment, but it was gone in a flash followed by a low grunt.

“You work in a kitchen? I thought this was your work?” Zoro ventured while he set the collection of swords on the ground delicately. Sanji gave the sword in his hand a few light experimental tosses. He pretended the sword was a knife back in the kitchen and made imaginary cuts and slices to a dish in the air.

“Kind of… I adoptive father owns a restaurant, I’ve grown up around chefs and cooking. It’s where I work in my free time; in between this job, and in the past when I competed in martial arts competitions, it’s what I prefer to do. Though I do love the action and adrenaline high I get from this job too, not sure if I’ll ever give it up. I’m using the money I get from this stuff to pay off culinary school dept and to help support my old man, not that he ever showed any appreciation.” Sanji knew he was rambling but couldn’t stop, he just kept talking and talking.

“I’m good at what I do, really good, actually. It helps that I’m a fast learner.” He bragged.

Sanji twirled the sword in his hand like he would with a knife when he was showing off to girls at dinner parties. Zoro just watched on, curious brows drawn upward.

“I bet I can get the hang of it pretty fast. I mean-” Sanji didn’t finish as he unceremoniously flung the sword to the ground and stumbled, blush heating across his pale face. Zoro chuckled quietly from behind him and Sanji’s blush soon turned into a red face up to the tips of his ears. Sanji spun on heel to face the smirking swordsman with an embarrassed glower, who was standing confidently with his arms crossed. After a moment of enjoying Sanji’s humiliation, Zoro waved for Sanji to follow him.

“Alright. Let’s get started.”

 

“Strike 4!” Zoro prompted.

Sanji repeated the choreographed turn and swing above his head, his feet moving like he was ballroom dancing, chest steadily rising and falling heavily beneath his loose tank top.  He then returned to the ready stance Zoro had shown him in the beginning, smirking as his eye’s met his instructor’s: Sanji was getting pretty good at this.

“Wipe that grin off your face you’re not done yet, you haven’t even fought with a partner yet.”

Sanji stood up straight, wiping some of the sweat off of his forehead, slightly leaning on the prop sword.

“Well then fight me already then.” He challenged. Sanji’s stomach dropped at the dark grin that spread across Zoro’s features.

“Fine.” Zoro replied in an amused growl. Zoro easily picked up a sword adjacent to them, gave a few elegant strikes, and turned back to face Sanji. Sanji adjusted his grip on the hilt and prepared himself, swaying slightly on the balls of his feet, and Zoro initiated the fight just like Sanji’s partner in the movie would.

Both he and Zoro knew each move, after two hours Sanji had them memorized by heart, but that didn’t stop the intensity between their moves. There was fire under his feet as he moved and electricity ran through his body. Sanji could feel the tinge of copper in the back of his mouth as the adrenaline of the fight began to kick in.

Sanji was in Zoro’s element and he loved it: it was mesmerizing and dangerous. It was the moments like that that Sanji was addicted to and could never get tired of. Sanji felt just like he did when he jumped off the top of that warehouse: alive.

Zoro swung down; Sanji dodged left and aimed a counterstrike to Zoro’s side that was roughly blocked. Their swords met crossed between them, foreheads nearly touching and taking in each other’s heated breathing, Sanji could hear the faint jingling of Zoro’s golden earrings. They pushed apart, Sanji spun and swung twice into the air. Zoro grinned “Show off!” He teased. The swordsman’s smile just widened devilishly and Sanji felt his insides melt a little in the midst of the energy of the battle. Sanji knew the fight was coming to a close as he delivered a blow for Zoro’s midsection. He was exhausted and sweaty and panting but like hell he felt like stopping. Without thinking, he raised his leg and swiped at the swordsman, who barely managed to block the surprise attack. Sanji would have paid to see the stupid look on marimo’s face again.

“What the hell are you doing?!” The swordsman yelled as he blocked another vicious kick. Sanji grinned.

“You’re not backing down from a fight, are you, _marimo_?”

Something lit up in the swordsman and came to life, and he returned Sanji’s smile with a cocky smirk. Sanji sprung at him, but this time Zoro was ready. There was a counterstrike pursuing Sanji that caused him to retreat back a step. Sanji leaped up high and threatened an axe kick down on Zoro’s mossy head, which Zoro quickly dodged but Sanji anticipated it: when he landed, he lashed his foot out that caught the man by surprise and tripped him.

The swordsman rolled into the fall by the pile of prop swords and picked up two more, placing one in his mouth. Sanji almost stopped his attack in shock. Almost. He aimed a roundhouse for the man’s solar plexus but was met with three crossed swords. Sanji hadn’t known a person could smirk with a sword in their mouth until now.  

Sanji put his hands up and reached into an agile back flip, kicking Zoro’s swords up as he wheeled away, landing a few feet away in a handstand. He pulled his legs apart in the air into a split before moving to stand up. As righted himself up slowly, he enjoyed Zoro’s wide eyed stare he flexed back into place. When he was back into a proper fighting stance, he bounced back into action.

“Who the hell fights with three swords?!” He goaded as he missed a kick aimed for Zoro’s left wrist in a move to disarm him.

“I do!” Zoro shouted back happily. In mid kick Sanji’s jaw nearly fell open.

“How the fuck are you talking so clearly, moss-head?!” He cried while blocking a fierce strike with his left leg.

“Skill.” The swordsman bragged.

Sanji dropped to his hands and spun his legs around, managing to land a hit just above Zoro’s hip. The swordsman grunted in response. When Sanji leaped back up, the two of them charged together like mountain rams, meeting in the middle and neither would budge.

After a few seconds of struggle, they both pushed away at the same moment, putting a good distance between them.

“Had enough shitty swordsman?” Sanji huffed between his panting. Zoro scowled.

“I’m just giving your pansy ass a time to recover!”

“Whatever you say, green bastard.”

Zoro muttered something in response Sanji couln’t hear as he padded over to his little pile of swords. Sanji walked over to the side of the room to recover his sword that he had thrown away in the fight. Sanji reveled in the way his joints and muscles were calling out to him, the singing in his nerves. It was hard to get a good fight like that these days.

Sanji admired the his view of Zoro across from him putting away the swords: he loved the way his skin glowed with sweat, the shape his chest took when it inflated with each deep breath, the marvelous contours the lines of his rigid muscle made. Sanji was even more drawn back by the man’s fighting: he was a beast to say the least. His movements were like water, his ferocity was a pouncing tiger and Sanji was his prey. Sanji was sure that the fiery almost demonic look in Zoro’s eye in the fight was going to be permanently engrained in his brain forever.

“Good fight, curly brow.” Zoro said looking up at him, Sanji awkwardly handed Zoro the sword in his hand, mumbling ‘Thanks’. Zoro collected all the swords in his arms and stood up.

“So next meeting Wednesday same time?” Zoro asked.

“Uh yeah! Yeah. That sounds good to me.” Sanji blushed slightly at his sudden excitement, cringing internally over how dumb he must look. Zoro just gave a curt nod and began to move towards the door. Sanji began to panic in his head slightly, his thoughts colliding and combusting into a wreckage.

“Hey!” He called. Zoro turned expectantly. Sanji’s eyes widened and began to look everywhere but Zoro.

“So, uh, I see you at filming tomorrow? It’s a pretty big scene, you know, the one with the stage fire? I don’t know, uh, you might want to see _me_ -it. You might want to see it. It’ll be pretty cool.” Sanji couldn’t stop himself from babbling, it all just fell out his mouth. He mourned his coolness’ death silently. He was surprised by the slight smile the swordsman gave him.

“Yeah, aright. See you there.”

Sanji watched him leave the room quietly before turning to gather his things and head out. When Sanji felt the door close behind him he pulled out a cigarette and lit it quickly, trying to smoke out the damn butterflies swarming in his stomach. He exhaled the smoke tiredly and meandered over to his motorcycle. He put out the cigarette with his shoe and tossed it, and placed his helmet on his head roughly.

“Pull yourself together Sanji.” He mumbled to himself with a shake of his head.

It wasn’t a date or anything; he was just going to see the handsome instructor tomorrow, nothing big. No matter how much he tried to talk himself down in his head, Sanji couldn’t get rid of the stupid smile off his face.


	3. The Fire

Zoro stood shifted the large boxes in his arms uneasily, looking next to him at a grinning Ace as they walked to the lake house set. There was a skip in Ace’s skip like it was Christmas as they entered the wooden home, walking around camera men setting up their machinery, finding the corner where the rest of Ace’s materials lay. It had been a while since Zoro was around Ace on the job; he’d forgotten what total pyromaniac the man was, the guy’s cheerful demeanor was almost off-putting.

“Do you really need all this stuff for a fake fire?” Zoro questioned as he set his boxes down.

“Who said anything about fake? This is the real deal baby!” Ace said with glee, patting the boxes happily.

“No shit? Isn’t that kind of dangerous?”

Ace shrugged. “It’s not that dangerous when you know what you’re doing. I think that the real fire looks better; it makes the audience believe the heat.”

“Huh. And here I thought all fires looked the same.” Zoro admitted.  Ace gave him a look before diving into one of the boxes, scooping up an armload of wires. He nodded with his head for Zoro to follow him down the hallway.

The inside of the large home was designed to give off a rustic, homely vibe, which Zoro supposed it did when seen on screen. But it was hard to feel the coziness when the home lived in a warehouse with a cement ceiling looming over it, and the lake it sat on was really just a little pond with a large green screen behind it.

Ace stopped at the foot of the massive wooden stairs by one of the two pillars that acted like they held up the second floor. Zoro was handed some of the wires and mimicked Ace in untangling them.

“Won’t the wires be seen on screen?” Zoro wondered aloud. Ace chuckled, not looking up from his work.

“You think we’re amateurs? Please. Give me more credit than that.”Ace leaned over to one of the pillars and knocked lightly on it, giving off a hollow drum. “The home was built to be set on fire. There are places all around the house for the starters to go, cables already in their mark that I just have to connect.”

“Alright alright, I get it, you’re a fire nerd.” Zoro groused, pulling the last of his wires apart.

“Oh but there’s more. I can control everything: from the size to the color of the flame. Where it goes and when it goes out. I’m not just a fire nerd, I am a fire _genius_.” Boasted Ace. He adjusted his cowboy hat on his head before walking off to grab more supplies followed by Zoro.

“Okay fire genius, why don’t the actors get burned?” He challenged. Ace gave a brushing off gesture with his hand and then bent down to pick up a large barrel of something that made a thick sloshing noise like syrup in a jar.

“With stuff like this: all apart of keeping control.” He said giving the barrel a little shake. “I have so many tricks up my sleeve you have no idea. I’m so freakin pumped for this fire you have no idea: I’m usually not allowed to make a fire as big as this one! But anyway, to answer your question, the actors can feel its warmth and they can’t get extremely close, but they’re safe. No need to worry.”

Despite Ace’s assurances, the idea of this big fire still pulled at Zoro’s insides. His mind kept returning to Sanji, the man who was about to go into action in this set. Zoro couldn’t help the small smile that worked its way onto his face at the thought of the ridiculous blond, thinking about their little sparing match from yesterday. Sanji had been simply incredible.

 _“You’re not backing down from a fight, are you,_ marimo _?” The response was electric; his body thrummed with energy, his instincts jolted awake. Everything just fell into place as he swung back at Sanji, forcing the man back a step, like this was where he belonged._

_The blond leaped high into the air like a gazelle, his foot above his head that left his leg in an impossible completely vertical motion. Zoro barely dodged the deadly attack from above and felt his world sweep out from under him when the swift blond took out Zoro’s feet. Then-_

A rough hand shook his shoulder. “Hello? You major dork quit spacing out, help me lug the rest of this stuff out of here.” Zoro snapped his head to the side to face the voice, reality plowing into him. “What were you thinking about?”

“Stuff…” Zoro trailed off. Ace shook his head softly with an exaggerated exhale.

“So why are you here, anyways? Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but the scene you’re needed for isn’t filming today.”

“I was… Invited.”

“Invited? Invited by who?” Ace snorted incredulously.

“Duval’s stunt double, Sanji. You know, they guy I’m training for my scene.” He explained awkwardly.

“Ohhh, I know that guy.” Ace said as he dropped to a crouch to begin plugging in wires to little devices, placing them in the wall discretely. The weak gasoline smell from the odd gel began to waft into the air, making Zoro’s nose crinkle. “We chatted the other day during a filming break, he seems pretty cool. Really good looking too, he looks better than the actor he doubles for if you ask me, though his eyebrow is kinda weird. What do you think of the guy,? You are training him after all.”

“He’s more of a dork than a cool guy if you ask me.” Zoro snorted. “But he’s a damn good fighter, that’s for sure.” Ace stopped connecting wire into the wall to look up at Zoro, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“What?” Zoro barked, shifting in place slightly trying to maintain eye contact his Ace’s stare, a knowing smirk growing on Ace’s face.

“Oh. My. God.” Ace said slowly.

“What?!”

“You like him.” Ace accused. Zoro jumped like Ace had poked him with a pin.

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“You totally like him! Doesn’t that make teaching him sword fighting weird?” Zoro was horrified by the blush that began to crawl onto his face, his mouth twitched slightly uncontrollably.

“I do not.”

“Psh please. You just described him with the highest compliment you ever give out to people. Not just ‘good’ fighter, you said ‘damn good’. You might as well have said you think he has the cutest butt you’ve ever seen.” Zoro’s blush deepened and he shook his head slightly to try to shake out any incoming messages of the blond’s ass that came to mind, he so did not need that right now.

“So… So what if I kinda have a thing for him! It’s all that bastards fault!” He shouted weakly. Ace just laughed.

“Awe… You poor sucker, you’re head over heels for him! Speaking of whom, there he is over there!” Ace pointed across the set to the blond, who was currently in the distance talking with Usopp by the pond outside the house. Zoro rushed to hit down Ace’s hand.

“Don’t point you moron!” He harshly whispered, looking around him quickly to see if anyone else on set looked to where Ace had been pointing. Ace clutched his stomach and laughed even louder at Zoro’s panic. Zoro glared at his friend for a moment, but then closed his eye and let his shoulders droop a little, leaning on the pillar to slowly slump down to where Ace was crouching.

“Sometimes I think he’s flirting with me, but then that could just be him being cheeky. That’s the thing with Sanji: there’s no knowing! If you think I’m hard to read then try it with this guy! One second he’s all cool and then another he’s an adorable dork and then he’s a smart-aleck and then he turns into this kick-ass fighter! I don’t know how to deal with this!” Zoro complained, letting his arms flail as he spoke.

“What are you getting all worked up over? I thought you were supposed to be a badass swordsman not a cry baby. Just go ask him out.”

“I can’t- it’s just. I. Uh. I really-” Zoro struggled with each letter, his tongue garbling everything up like he had marbles rolling around in his mouth. He took an undignified deep breath and tried again. “I just really suck at that… That… Stuff.”

“Yeah I know.” Mumbled Ace.

“Not helping.”

“Dude, just go talk to him you stupid wimp!” Ace said exasperatedly.

“I’m not a wimp!” He retorted.

“Go prove it!” Ace challenged.

“Fine, I will!” Zoro yelled as he tromped over in the direction where Sanji was standing. As he walked he realized had been tricked but kept walking, not wanting to give Ace the satisfaction of seeing his distressed face. He cringed when he heard the freckled bastard yell, “Good luck, lover boy!” behind him.

Sanji was still coordinating with Usopp when Zoro reached him, script in hand and making comments as Usopp nodded. The blond wasn’t wearing his normal black get-up, and was instead in costume: he looked a lot more like Duval, his signature curled eyebrows slightly altered by the make-up, his facial hair shaved. His blonde hair was out of his eyes for once, both startlingly blue eyes masked by dark brown contacts. When Sanji noticed Zoro’s arrival he gave a small smile, pulling away from Usopp to walk up to Zoro.

“Hey! Glad you came! This is going to be a really cool performance, fire effects always are fun to watch.” Zoro looked back from where he came, catching a glimpse of Ace who was watching him with a grin. Zoro grimaced before turning back to Sanji.

“That’s what I hear. I’ve been helping set up the fire stuff with Ace, the head pyrotechnician.”

“Oh cool! Ace sounds like an interesting guy to work with; I’d like to get a chance to chat with him again during the break.” Sanji said casually. Then, Sanji broke eye contact with Zoro and started fumbling with his hands in front of him. “So, I wanted to ask you-”

“Mr. Black needed on set!” A man yelled not far off. Sanji’s brow furrowed.

“I wanted to ask you-”

“Mr. Black!” The man persisted. Sanji looked at Zoro, then at the man calling him, back at Zoro, then back to the man again. Zoro gave Sanji a light shove.

“You can ask me what you want after the shoot, I’ll still be here. Get going moron.”

“Fuck you moss head.” Sanji yelled with no conviction as he began to trot in towards to set.

“Back at you, curly brow!” Zoro stayed where he was as he watched Sanji leave. Unfortunately, because he was so zoned out on Sanji, he didn’t hear the massive stampede heading straight for him. Zoro was grabbed from behind and tackled to the ground with a loud ‘thud’. Only one bastard tackled Zoro like that and lived.

“Luffy you ass, get off me!” Zoro shouted.

“Shishishi! You didn’t say you were coming by today! You should’ve let me know!” Luffy yelled into his face. Zoro roughly pushed the energetic man off of him. For an Oscar winning actor, Luffy sure did act like a kid.

“Why are you here Luffy? You’re not even in this movie!” Zoro growled and slugged Luffy on the shoulder, but the moron just kept that gigantic smile on his dumb face.

“Free food! Duh. I tagged along with Ace! Plus, how could I miss the fire show?! This is gonna be so freakin’ awesome!” Luffy cheered as he pulled a handful of gummy bears from his pocket that he had no doubt stolen from the endless snack table and gracelessly shoved them into his mouth. Zoro rolled his eyes. Luffy’s eyes widened into saucers as the warehouse lights dimmed.

“It’s gonna start soon! Let’s go find Ace, he always has the best spot to watch from!” Luffy grabbed onto Zoro’s arm to drag him away, running in circles until they found the table that Ace was working from. An array of panels and switches sat in front of Ace, including four large televisions before him that showed almost every angle of the house.

“Hey bro! Hey _Zoro_.” Ace greeted with a wink.

“Don’t even.” Ace put his hands up defensively and raised his shoulders like he had no idea what Zoro was talking about.

“Quiet on the set!” Rang out Usopp’s voice and the whole warehouse fell completely silent. “Action!”

“Marker. _Double Take_. Scene 11. Take one.” Said a nonchalant voice followed by a sharp clap. Then, Duval appeared on the screen of the second TV and the scene commenced.

From what Zoro could remember from the script, in this scene Duval and his best friend begin the scene with an argument, which escalates to a super intense fight when Duval finds out his friend is a double agent or something. Duval would switch out with Sanji when the fists start flying and then in the chaos of the fight the house would catch fire. The fight would carry up to the roof where the flames aren’t as bad. Then Sanji and Duval switch back when the danger level isn’t as high for the final tragic bit of the scene where the best friend falls through the weakened roof and into the fire. Duval cries manly tears. Drama drama drama.

Usopp’s movies were always a bit out there, but that’s what drew people in. Zoro didn’t really care about the plot to this ridiculous movie; his interest was in the fighting and, more recently, in Sanji.

Zoro watch the fourth screen, where Sanji could be seen off camera, preparing for the cut to switch. Sanji wore a confident smirk, ready for the camera.  From an unseen signal, Sanji bolted out of his spot, jumping immediately into action while Duval bounced out of sight.

Just like in his fight with Zoro, Sanji’s movements were astounding: his body was like an ocean, a perfect balance of push and pull with a tempest hidden in those moves. Even if it was choreographed, Sanji made it his own: he made it real. Zoro thought it was a real shame that the camera was going to give Duval all the credit for Sanji’s brilliance.

“Show time.” Ace whispered gleefully next to Zoro, enthusiastically pushing a small lever on his panel forward, Luffy quietly cheered his brother on while jumping up and down in anticipation. A knocked over candle in the fray was supposedly the cause of the growing flames. With a press of a button, Ace had smoke beginning to gradually accumulate into the room. Sanji and the other man just fought on, the scene slowly advancing towards the stairs. Zoro could smell the acrid fire and couldn’t imagine what it had to be like in the burning building.

The fire was growing rapidly at this point, the flames hungrier. Zoro took his eyes off the screen for a moment to glance at the overjoyed Ace to reassure himself that everything was going alright and immediately went back to the TV. In the midst of the fight, the man opposing Sanji tripped on something behind him and flailed pointlessly, making a mess of the set. Sanji tried to play it off and continue the scene but the other actor was hopeless.

“CUT!” Yelled an aggravated Usopp. Ace grumbled and began pulling on more switches and the fire disappeared. The smoke began blowing away too.

“Seriously? What the hell did he trip on? Does he even realize how much it costs to get this going?! Namie’s going to have a fit if we have more ‘accidents’ like that!” Ace complained as he fiddled with his instruments. A puzzled scowl crossed the freckled man’s face. “Well that’s not right…” He murmured.

“What’s up?” Asked Zoro, craning his neck to look down at the panel Ace was directing his anger at.

“I think one of my starters is stuck or something, I can’t see it… It’s like there is something blocking it…” Ace groaned, taking off his hat to run a hand through his dark wavy hair. “Oh well, it’ll be fine without it I guess, just one less burst of flames.”

  “Quiet on the set!” Shouted Usopp once again. “Action!”

“Marker. _Double Take_. Scene 11. Take 2.” For the second time, the scene went into play. Zoro saw the candle knock over in the kitchen, but there was no swoosh of the fire starting, smoke wasn’t rising out of the windows.

“CUT!” Screamed Usopp. “WHAT THE HELL ACE, WHERE IS MY FIRE?!”

“Something’s wrong in the set! Clear the house!” Ace yelled back. The crew began to evacuate the house when suddenly there was a loud ‘SNAP!’ and immense flames burst to life in the house. People on set screamed, everyone running away from the sudden and growing fire. Fire erupted from the roof of the house with a roar, showering anyone nearby in burning debris. Zoro’s heart stopped like he’d been pushed off a cliff, panic swelling in his throat.

“SANJI!” He screamed, already running towards the burning house.

“Zoro, get back here! Luffy, not you too!” Ace shrieked.

“No. no no no.” Zoro mumbled to himself, his stomach dropped as the flames grew higher. The heavy footsteps behind him made Zoro realize that he was no longer sprinting unaccompanied; Luffy was right beside him with the most deadly expression on his face aimed at the house, his signature straw hat missing on his raven haired head.

“I’m not leaving you alone!” Luffy yelled to him. Zoro just nodded, refocusing on the fire. They reached the smoking house and dropped into a low crouch, Zoro covered his mouth with sleeve as he ran in, Luffy in pursuit.

The fire hungrily lapped towards Zoro’s face, the intense heat making it hard to see. Thick, black smoke rolled above like an overcast sky. This was nothing like the fire that had been on screen before, this was out of control. Zoro roughly pushed a fallen beam out of his way as he scanned the burning wreckage. Out of the corner of his eye, Zoro saw a figure in the kitchen.

“This way!” He shouted and led Luffy into the kitchen. The building shuddered, the wooden panels of the house cracked and screamed. Zoro’s eyes stung and watered, begging him to leave the smoke.

He found Duval weeping in a corner trying to shield a semiconscious Sanji, who had blood streaming down his face.

“Sanji!” Zoro called out. The Duval looked up in surprise and shock as Zoro crawled over with Luffy. Zoro turned to Luffy, briefly shielding his face from flying embers.

“Young master hit his head in the explosion I think he’s concussed and I think I twisted my ankle and couldn’t carry him out!” Duval yelled in a panic, his tears mixing with soot and ash creating gray mushy streaks along his pale face.

“Luffy you grab Duval and haul ass out of here! I’ll follow!” Luffy nodded sternly before lifting a frantic Duval onto his shoulders and quickly made his way out. Zoro snapped back to Sanji, who was beginning to cough that sounded like he was drowning, his whole body shook.

“I’ve got you curly cue.” Zoro promised as he threw an arm under Sanji, hoisting him up gently.

“You fucking moron, don’t you know not to run into a burning building shitty marimo?!” Sanji moaned weakly into Zoro’s neck.

“Then don’t get trapped in burning buildings! You don’t get to go die in a fire before I can ask you out, you bastard!”

Zoro ducked back under the smoke, easily carrying the cook in his arms. To Zoro’s horror, the way he came in had collapsed; eager flames were growing closer and closer. Zoro looked around in a panic, holding Sanji closer to him as he looked for a way out, the heat becoming unbearable. He could feel the rubber soles of his shoes grow tacky and disfigured as the heat ate away at them. Zoro’s eye settled on a window, close to where the front door had been, the glass shattered from the heat.

“Hang on, dart brow.” He muttered. Zoro charged towards the window shoulder first like a football player, turning so that his back took on the hit full force as he and Sanji crashed through. They rolled on the ground, now out of the searing flames that reached out the hole they just made. Fire fighters were by their side in seconds, dragging them away from the furious fire.

An oxygen mask was shoved onto Zoro’s face as he was placed and carted away on a stretcher away from the fire. He looked over to his right and saw Sanji getting the same treatment, except the blond was getting pulled into an ambulance. Zoro’s right shoulder was stiff and ached, pain beginning to seep into it; Zoro wondered if he had dislocated it.

From the crowd, Zoro saw Ace stop reprimanding a smiling Luffy to run over to him. Before Ace reached Zoro, he saw Luffy give him a thumbs up to which Zoro weakly returned. It was good to have a friend like Luffy, a guy loyal and crazy enough to follow you into a burning building. Ace stormed up to Zoro’s stretcher and grabbed at its railing to shake it.

“Jesus Christ Zoro you’re fucking crazy! I thought you were dead!” Ace scolded.

“I’m fine.”Zoro managed to get out through the mask.

“Oh yeah cause this is what fine looks like, lying on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on your face.!” Ace raged. Zoro would have shrugged if his shoulder didn’t hurt so badly.

“Please sir, we need you to back away.” A fire fighter woman advised, showing Ace back to the crowd.

 Zoro let his head flop down onto the stretcher. He still couldn’t believe what he had just done, it was fucking crazy: but he was glad he did, Duval and Sanji could have been in some serious trouble. Stupid blonde, getting himself knocked out, making Zoro worry like that, Zoro was going to have to kick his ass for this.

But for now, Zoro was really fucking tired. He heard watched with a bleary eye as two paramedics came to his side and murmuring this and that. Zoro didn’t really care, he just wanted a nap. So that’s what he did, he fell asleep.


	4. The Escape

Sanji paced around his hospital room agitatedly, the fingers of his left hand jerking and twitching with every other step against his hip. The heat of the room was stifling, gray and devoid of color, and his small window overlooking the parking lot felt smaller than before. Sanji needed to get the hell out of this room.

He had officially eight more hours left until he would be allowed to check out, having one more final appointment that he didn’t need in four hours.

After a final lap around the tiny room Sanji flopped onto his stiff bed, ruffling the thin sheets. He brought both of his hands up to tousle his hair with a frustrated growl and then dropped them to his sides, releasing a long breath. He went back to what he had been doing for the past hour since he had woken up: re-live the fire in his head.

Against his firm pillow, he could still feel the slight ache and shape of the large bump on the back of his head that had been the cause of his concussion. The thick, acrid smoke lingered on his palette, the crunch and crackle of wooden beams splitting and collapsing rang in his ears, he could feel the looming heat of those ravenous flames reaching out to devour him. As a chef, Sanji had never had a fear of flames: but he’d be damned if he wasn’t scarred of burning alive. He was lucky to only receive minor burns.

When Zoro and Luffy showed up to the rescue, Sanji couldn’t really see them: his vision faded in and out of spotted darkness, and when he was out of the darkness objects were blurred and unfocused. But he could still make out that shitty green head of hair.

Sanji was torn. Part of him wanted to rejoice in the fact that Zoro cared enough about him to run into a fucking burning building to save him like some romantic movie hero. The other part of him wanted to kick Zoro to heaven high for doing something so stupid.

_“I’ve got you Curly Cue.”_

Strong hands that he had once been exchanging blows with latched on to him and he was pulled into a sturdy embrace, pushed into a broad chest and his head lightly cradled where neck met shoulder. Sanji wasn’t one to enjoy being manhandled: in past relationships with men, Sanji was always the bigger of the pair and the more dominating. He didn’t like a challenge to his masculinity. Yet being picked up by Zoro like that wasn’t so bad. Granted it was a rescue from a burning building, but still it was being carried around by another man none the less.

He liked the safety he felt in Zoro’s arms, how secure it was. How he knew he could trust the man to protect him, not that he really had a choice. Though Sanji was pissed that the Swordsman had come to get him he was still thankful. He remembered the heavy heartbeat against his ear, the slight tremble in the man’s hands. The way his voice rumbled through his frame when he spoke.

_“You fucking moron, don’t you know not to run into a burning building shitty marimo?!”_

It had hurt to speak, the dry air and ash scratched at his throat, but he couldn’t just let the Marimo think that what he was doing was okay and had to remind him what a dumbass he was being. He still couldn’t believe what the idiot’s response was.

_“Then don’t get trapped in burning buildings! You don’t get to go die in a fire before I can ask you out, you bastard!”_

Sanji hugged himself slightly in bed, a smile seeping across his features. _“…Before I can ask you out…”_ kept repeating in his head. His insides felt nice and warm, his heart happily sped up.

“What a shitty way to ask for a date.” Sanji mumbled out loud with a shake of his head, trying to kill the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach. The man was a complete bone-head and yet Sanji still liked the guy. Go figure.

Sanji turned his head when he heard a soft rustling from behind his door, followed by a sharp knock and none other than the moss head himself shuffled in through the doorway.

"Hey.” Zoro muttered awkwardly as Sanji sat up.

“Don’t you ‘hey’ me you shitty moss head.” Sanji barked, his eyebrows drawn into a knot. “Why’d you go and do something so fucking stupid like that.”

"I don’t know.”  He mumbled, not meeting Sanji in the eye. He felt like he was quizzing a five year old, Zoro shifted on his feet and kept his hands behind his back.

"Don’t give me that bullshit! Like hell you don’t know!” Sanji spat. “That was really fucking stupid of you! You could have gotten killed!”

"And you could have died in there! Luffy ran in with me too, you know! We were worried about you.” Zoro retorted.

"I’ve already chewed out Luffy’s sorry ass, I’m talking about you!”

“Well, what would you have had me do?! Just stand back and watch that house burn down on top of you?! Hell no!” Zoro yelled back. “It just kinda happened, okay? I was scared out of my fucking mind!”

Sanji let the air settle as he leaned back into his bed.

“Alright, alright.” Sanji sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a little guilty for being so harsh, but he was still pissed.

Zoro walked over cautiously, gave Sanji a worried look, and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. Sanji watched his pull a newspaper from behind his back that Sanji hadn’t noticed before and tossed it in Sanji’s lap.

“Look Dart Brow, we’re famous.” He said with a wry smirk. Sanji curiously picked up the paper and looked onto the front page.

           

LUFFY D. MONKEY’S DARING RESCUE OF UPCOMING ACTOR DUVAL

Heroes Emerge on Set of Summer Blockbuster _Double Take_ After Flames Erupt in Studio

Below were three pictures, a larger above two smaller. The larger of the pictures was a photo of a stoic Luffy carrying Duval out the burning front door on his back; it looked like a scene from a comic book. One of the smaller was another picture of Luffy, giving the camera a large goofy grin covered in soot, off in the distance you could see the back of Usopp’s head.

“How’s Duval?” Sanji wondered aloud as he looked down at the third picture. The photo was of him and Zoro.

Zoro snorted. “He’s fine, he didn’t even have to stay overnight in the hospital. Tougher than he looks I guess.” Sanji continued to stare at the last picture.

It was the moment they came crashing out that window, Sanji tucked in Zoro’s arms as Zoro’s shoulder took the blunt of the force. From the look of Zoro’s face in the picture it had to have hurt like crazy.

“How’d they even get these photos?” He asked, keeping his eyes on the paper, skimming the contents.

“I think other cameras that weren’t in the house were left rolling when the cameramen panicked and ran. Except for the small picture of Luffy, I’m guessing they’re just cut out pics from the footage.” Zoro shrugged. A frown pulled at the corners of Sanji’s mouth as he looked up at the man.

“How’s your shoulder?”

Zoro rolled his shoulder in question slightly. “Its fine I guess, it was sorer yesterday when they popped it back into place.” Sanji winced at the thought.

"Sorry…” Sanji murmured. Zoro glared at him.

“It wasn’t your fault.” He said in an unwavering voice. Silence awkwardly fell between them for a moment before Sanji could speak up.

"Thanks… For saving me.” Zoro just gave another simple shrug so Sanji continued.

“I guess I kinda owe you now, huh? So…” Sanji took a deep breath and turned to face Zoro. “How bout I take you up on that date?”

The affect was immediate. Zoro became a pink, sputtering mess, and Sanji had never seen that dark eye so wide before. The man gave a weak display of trying to collect himself and failed, settling for staring at the tiled floor with his jaw clenched tightly.

“W-what are you talking about?” Zoro barely managed. Sanji loved the flush of embarrassment strewn across the swordsman’s sharp features, the way his eye brow quivered slightly like the man couldn’t pick an expression to wear.

“You do realize I was still conscious when you carried me out right? I could still hear you dumbass.” Zoro’s face fell, then his face became so red it pulled a small laugh out of Sanji’s lungs, which evolved into a laughing fit.

“It’s not funny, you bastard!” Zoro quipped quietly, looking away in humiliated horror.

“Oh my god you should see your shitty face! Ahahahaha it’s so fucking cute!” Sanji managed to gasp out. Zoro’s head cocked to the side and raised a sharp eyebrow.

“Did you just call my face cute?” Sanji’s laughter died down into short breathy chortles.

"Yeah marimo your shitty face is adorable.” Sanji giggled, his cheeks sore and rosy from laughing.

"I’m not cute!”

"Oh my god yes you are!”

"Psh, you’re the cute one curly cue!” Zoro challenged.

“Shut the fuck up moss head I am not.”

“Are too dart brow.”

“Shit for brains.”

“Stupid eye brows”

“That was weak and you know it, shitty marimo.” Zoro grumbled playfully and shoved Sanji back down into the pillow. Sanji kicked Zoro off the bed in retaliation who gave an ungraceful grunt when his ass hit the floor.

“So you actually wanna go on a date with me, shit cook?”

“Was that not clear, shitty moron? Yes dumbass” Sanji rolled onto his stomach and held his head up with a hand at the foot of the bed. “I was thinking I could make us dinner at my place.”

“Aw, did you plan out your dream date for us?” Zoro mocked. Sanji swatted at Zoro’s head below him.

“Yeah I did shit head; I’m gonna romance you with my cooking.” Sanji mused. Zoro smirked in response. “So how bout tomorrow around 5, my apartment? I’ll text you the address.” Zoro gave a nod.

“Sounds good to me.” Zoro paused. “But why not tonight?” Sanji groaned.

“I can’t leave here until like 6. It fucking sucks. I can’t do anything here, it’s boring as hell and I can’t smoke.” He complained. Zoro glanced at the door then looked back up at Sanji.

“Wanna escape?” He said in a low voice, an evil grin growing on his face.

“Hell fucking yeah.”

“Alright, then come on, put your clothes on.” Sanji leaped off the bed and over to the chair where his dad had put a change of clothes for him when he had visited. He threw off the hospital gown and grabbed his black trousers. He turned back to Zoro as he began to throw on his black shirt, who was staring at Sanji with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Pervert.” Sanji accused. Zoro chuckled in response. 

"Not my fault you look that good.” Zoro mused. Sanji glared at him as blush heated his face, causing Zoro to laugh. 

"Enough of that, shit swordsman. Let’s go.” They walked over to the door and Zoro cracked it open to stick his head out, Sanji grinned in anticipation.

"Okay, ready…. GO!” Zoro shouted, grabbed onto Sanji’s hand and pulling him along as the man broke out into a sprint. They dashed through the hallway, causing a commotion behind them.

"No running!” and “Hey wait!” echoed after them as they ran to a stairway and raced down them. Sanji’s heartbeat fluttered in his ears and he couldn’t stop smiling even if he tried as he tightened his grip on the swordsman’s hand, lacing their fingers together. They burst into the lobby, startling a few nurses and receptionists. Warm sunshine greeted them as they flew out the main door. Zoro came to a sudden stop a couple yards from the exit, his head looking from side to side.

“Marimo?”

“Uh… One second, I’m trying to remember which way I parked my bike.” Zoro muttered.

“Are you kidding me?! You shitty lost looser!”Sanji yelled in disbelief. He took the lead this time, yanking at Zoro’s arm and taking off in one direction as he heard security come through the doors behind him. “Do you at least remember the street name?”

“Umm… No….” Zoro muttered. Sanji sighed as he ran, turning his head to glare at the swordsman.

“You are so useless, Marimo.”

“Shut up shit cook! I think it was a block from here, by a pizza shop. I think.”

They ended up running around for another five minutes until they finally stumbled upon Zoro’s motorcycle. It was a large bike, with a low seat and wide handlebars.

“Jesus Zoro, this isn’t a bike this is a hog!” Zoro gave a proud smirk as he led Sanji over to the ride, sitting Sanji behind him and starting the engine that gave a low roar, vibrating his whole body. Sanji’s motorcycle was sleek and quite, he wasn’t used to something so loud and obnoxiously macho.

“Where’s your helmet dumbass?!” Sanji yelled, Zoro laughed and reached behind him, pulling two helmets from the back. Sanji quickly strapped his on.

“Hang onto me Curly cue you wouldn’t want to fall off!” Zoro shouted as he kicked off, Sanji clung onto to Zoro tightly as the bike sped off. Sanji was used to being the one driving, to having someone else hanging on tight to his back, but this wasn’t too bad either.

With his chest close to the swordsman’s back he could feel him breath in and out steadily, feel each slight movement in his muscles. Sanji slowly slid his hips against Zoro’s, delighted in the slight hitch in Zoro’s breath, and pressed his forehead between Zoro’s shoulder blades. He could get used to riding like this.

“Where do you wanna go?” Zoro yelled over his shoulder. Sanji thought for a moment before responding with,

“The Baratie, my dad’s restaurant. He had my bike waiting for me there.” Zoro nodded and drove on, then turned back to Sanji a minute later and said, “I have no fucking clue where that is.”

 

“Thanks for the ride shitty swordsman.”

“Yeah yeah curly cue.” Zoro said as Sanji walked over to his bike, looking back at Zoro. “So…. We still on for five?”

“You bet you’re sorry ass we are. Don’t get lost and don’t be late!”  Zoro gave him a short grunt and nod, then revved his engine and pushed off.

“Who the hell was that?” Shouted a gruff and familiar voice from behind Sanji jumped three feet in the air like a cat that had water poured on it.

“Don’t sneak up on people shitty geezer!” Sanji screeched to face an older man who was frowning at him through an impressive braided mustache, arms crossed in front of a wide chest that sporting an all white chef’s robe.

“Who was that guy, eggplant?”

“He was none of your business shitty old man!” Sanji tromped into the closed restaurant, followed by Zeff as Sanji stormed up the back stairs to the home above the kitchen.

“Watch your mouth brat. I thought you weren’t going to be out of the hospital until 6?”

“I got out early.” He groused while searching the countertops.

“You don’t just get out early from the hospital. Does this have anything to do with that _boy_?” Sanji whipped his head back to shoot the man a flustered scowl.

“His name’s Zoro.”

“Mhmm.” Zeff grumbled. “So is this _Zoro_ one of your little crushes?”

“Where are my keys and wallet shit geezer?”

“Top left drawer there. He’s not bad looking, bigger than your usual pick. Changing it up a little I see.”

“Oh my god would you please shut the hell up.” Sanji hissed as he snatched up his things. He made his way to try to push past Zeff who moodily stepped aside, kicking the back of Sanji’s calf as he walked by. Sanji was just barely able to keep his balance and chose to ignore the quietly chuckling old man and slammed the restaurant door behind him hard enough to rattle windows.

“Shitty fucking geezer needs to mind his own shitty business…” Sanji grumbled to himself quietly as he approached his own motorcycle.

Sanji swung his leg around his bike and jammed his sleek helmet on his head. He started the bike and revved the engine loudly like he knew Zeff hated and kicked off, the restaurant quickly fading behind him as he made his way to his apartment.

He had more important things to be thinking about other than his father’s sass. Like cooking a kick ass dinner. Like his date tonight.

He wasn’t sure yet what he was going to make but he knew it was going to wow the swordsman. He couldn’t wait to see the man’s face when he realized how talented Sanji was, how great Sanji was, and how Sanji was the perfect boyfriend. Then they’d drink some wine and Zoro would be even more impressed in his taste in alcohol. They’d make out on his couch and Zoro would just be blown away by what a good kisser Sanji was. Then they might move it to his bedroom and he would-

Sanji snapped out of his daze as a car blared its horn at him, making him quickly swerve his bike away from the center line he had been drifting into.

So maybe Sanji was thinking a little too far ahead of himself. But he knew for sure that this date was going to be perfect.


	5. The Date

Zoro sat at his apartment kitchen table glaring at the phone in his hand, bouncing his foot against the floor. To call or not to call, that is the question. After three more seconds of having a stare down with his phone Zoro sighed and pressed the green glowing call button on his phone, grudgingly putting the device to his ear.

“What do you want?” The voice on the other end demanded, Zoro could hear a muffled high voice ask “Who is it?” among sounds of some kind of female rapper music in the background.

“Hey Nami. I need… A favor.” Zoro bit out, he looked to his side as if staring at the floor would make the words come out of his mouth any easier.

“Hey Vivi turn that down a second. Say that again?” Asked Nami sweetly.

“You heard me.” Zoro snapped.

“Mhmm… And what might this favor be?”

“I need… Fashion advice.” He said in a small voice, drumming his fingers on his leg nervously. Nami gave a wicked chuckle that made Zoro shiver.

“We’ll discuss payment when I’m done. I’ll see you at your place in five minutes.” With that the witch hung up. Zoro slumped in his body lower in his chair and sighed. Nami is a fantastic producer; she’s really, really good at what she does, her talents have always lied in money. But Nami also came at a high cost: despite of knowing Zoro for three years now and living literally two floors above him she never went easy on him. The cost could be anything, from actual money to outlandish favors.

However Zoro wasn’t actually worried about Nami’s horrifying fees; he was more concerned about the barrage of questions he was about to face. Besides Usopp, Nami was the nosiest person Zoro had ever encountered.

But on the other hand Zoro really needed her help. He didn’t know which way was up when it came to a ‘proper’ wardrobe, in his closet lay a heap of clothes that he deemed his ‘nice stuff pile’ that Nami had been compiling over the years for him. He had no idea where to even start. He needed to look good on this date, which quickly approaching with two hours to go.

He wanted to look nice but not over dressed, impressive but not overbearing. Sanji had a certain kind of class, one that Zoro really couldn’t hope to reach; his look was immaculate, he made casual look like high fashion run way, Sanji was at a level Zoro knew that he wasn’t. Zoro wanted to make Sanji think that he was good enough for him. Zoro shook his head with an angry growl. Since when had he become so insecure?!

 Zoro’s frustrations were cut short when his front door slammed open, causing Zoro to nearly leap a foot in the air as the devilishly smiling red-head bounded in followed by a timid but happy Vivi.

“You can’t just storm into people’s homes like this witch! And I thought my door was locked, how did you even do that?!” Zoro shouted. Nami waved him off and began walking towards Zoro’s bedroom.

“I had a key made ages ago.”

“What?!” Nami ignored as she opened his large closet door. Zoro lowered his shoulders in defeat and turned to his other visitor, Nami’s girlfriend.

“Hey Vivi.” Zoro said dimly.

“Mr. Bushido.” She joked back with a wide smile that contrasted so easily and nicely with her darker skin tone, her long blue hair lightly bouncing effortlessly.

“Oh god, Zoro, come on! Can’t you treat the clothes I find you a little nicer?!” Nami yelled exasperated from inside the closet. “Whichever outfit you wear is going to have to be ironed, you just added on more work.” Nami paused her examination and arranging to step out of the closet.

“By the way, I can’t actually pick out an outfit if I don’t know what it’s for.” She stated, expectantly staring at Zoro who awkwardly scratched the back on his neck and avoided eye contact.

“I have a date…” He mumbled. Nami’s face instantly lit up.

“OH MY GOD! WHAT?! I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU TAKE ACTUAL INTEREST IN ANYONE IN… IN… IN FOREVER!” She shrieked, Zoro’s face scrunched up and leaned away.

“That’s none of your concern!” Zoro fought feebly. Vivi stepped in to begin helping Nami sort out Zoro’s disastrous heap of clothes.

“So, who is it?” Vivi asked gleefully. Nami pulled at Vivi’s arm lightly in excitement.

“Oh I bet you it’s that guy he rescued! Remember, the one Luffy told us about? This is like, Zoro’s reward!” Vivi giggled in response. Zoro shuffled in place uncomfortably, looking to his door considering fleeing, he felt like there was a spotlight on him.

“Yeah, so what if it’s him?!” Zoro tried to argue, dodging out of the way when Nami threw several items out of the closet at him.

“So what?! This is really romantic you brainless swordsman!” Nami turned to Vivi once again with a mischievous grin. “We can work with this; he is going to look so good.”

“What’s his name?” Nami called from inside the closet.

“Sanji.” Zoro replied curtly. He leaned up against his bedroom wall, fiddling idly the earrings chiming softly in his ear.

“Do you know where you guys are going?” Nami asked.

“I’m going to his apartment, he’s making us diner.”

“Ooo he cooks?”

“He’s a chef actually. Stunting is just his part time job.”

“A man of many talents I see.”

“Nami, what do you think of this shirt?” Vivi asked.

“Oh I like that! It can go with this blazer. Help me find some pants to match it!” Nami responded excitedly. Zoro leaned his head in slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of what the girls had picked out. Nami emerged a moment later with a charcoal grey blazer in one arm and a pinstripe grey button up in the other.

Nami eyed Zoro’s green haramaki around his belly disdainfully, making Zoro clutch it defensively.

“You are not going to wear that.”

“Why not? I wear it all the time.” Zoro defended.

“Well not this time, so off it goes!” Nami said as she tugged at the haramaki, Zoro wiggled out of her grasp and stood back to the other side of the room.

“Well, you do want to look nice for this date…” Vivi trailed off slyly. Zoro grumbled lowly before quickly jerking the green band off his waist and tossed it to his bed. He held out his arms in an annoyed demeanor.

“Happy?” He barked. Nami happily nodded and made her way over to him. She held up the clothing to Zoro.

“What do you think Vivi?”

“I like it, Armani looks great on Zoro! And I think that it’ll be comfortable enough that Zoro won’t be trying to rip it off by the end of the night.”

“Yeah hopefully Sanji does it for him!” The girls erupted into laughter. Zoro face flushed and he kicked the laughing women out of his room to change.

He jammed his limbs into the clothes, trying to straighten out the folds and wrinkles that seemed to be embedded in the soft fabric. He fluffed his short hair as he looked at himself in the mirror that rested above his dresser, turning this way and that to see different angles. Despite the creases in the material it looked good, he was actually glad he called Nami.

            _Hopefully Sanji does it for him!_

It kept ringing in his ears like a broken record. He had no idea how far this date was going to go. Would it really go that far? Not that Zoro would object to it in any way, quite the contrary. He would be happy with just a kiss from the blond, to have the man put his arms around Zoro and allow Zoro to do the same to Sanji. He wanted to pull the man into his lap and be able to just look at him from above, to watch those blue eyes from behind long lashes.

A noise from outside his room snapped him out of his thoughts. Zoro threw off the clothes and gathered them up to go iron them, grabbed on some sweats, and left his room to see that Nami had helped herself to Zoro’s fridge. He headed to his storing closet to find the ironing board and Nami asked,

“So when is this date anyways?” She leaned against his kitchen counter as she popped off the top of a beer and handed it to Vivi.

“It’s at five.” He replied. Nami looked across at his oven’s clock.

“Zoro, that’s in 40 minutes! Seriously you’re going to be late.”

“I will not.” Zoro plugged in the iron and began to roughly smooth out the crinkles in his outfit.

“So what’s this Sanji guy like? I’ve only ever seen him on set; I’ve never formally met him.” A soft smile leaked onto Zoro’s face.

“I don’t know, he’s… He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before that’s for sure. When I first saw him he just took my breath away.” Zoro recalled warmly. He remembered how the blond looked like he belonged in the air, the way Sanji made falling look like an art. Sanji had been elegant and collected in mid air; his long legs carried him like he was strolling down the red carpet. “But he’s such a total dork, and at the same time he’s an awesome fighter. He’s-oh shit!”

Zoro lifted away the iron he had been neglecting before it could do permanent damage to his shirt.

“Wow, smooth, lover boy.” Nami chuckled. Zoro gave her a look before holding up the shirt to make sure it really was fine, and then went back to his room to put the outfit on once again.

It looked even better now that its blemishes were removed. Zoro smirked at his reflection confidently: he wasn’t one to get caught up in looks, but he knew when he looked good. This was one of those times.

“Oh, well would you look at this.” Nami said as Zoro stepped out of the room. “Zoro doesn’t look like a sword carrying hobo for once.” Zoro snorted in response.

“You do look nice, Zoro. Very handsome.” Vivi encouraged. Nami set down the beer she was drinking and put on what would be best described as her business face. Zoro prepared himself for the oncoming discussion on how she was going to completely rip him off this time.

“I’ll make you a deal, Zoro. If this date goes well and you start seriously seeing this guy, I’ll charge you nothing. But if you mess this up I’m tripling what I was originally going to charge. Consider it an incentive.”Nami offered, giving out a hand towards Zoro which he took self-assuredly.

“You’re on.”

“Don’t get cocky. Now get going before you’re late!” Nami ushered him out the door and tossed his keys after him, then slammed the door behind him.

“You don’t just kick people out of their own homes!” He yelled into the door but was ignored. He sighed and started towards the stairs at the end of the hallway; Nami was right, if he didn’t hurry he was going to be late.

He looked over the cook’s address one last time before pocketing his phone and jumping onto his ride and taking off. Three u-turns later he made it to Sanji’s apartment complex. He checked his reflection in his review mirrors, psyching himself up before hoping off the bike.

 

* * *

 

 

Palm trees surrounded the large building, their large leaves swaying in the slight breeze that rode the hot air. Zoro ascended the stone stairs up and walked onto the outdoor hallway, looking out into the courtyard below where a well tended garden rested. He walked on until he found the apartment at the corner of the complex.

From what Zoro could tell from the outside it was a really nice place, the apartment clearly had a fantastic view of the not so far off ocean, if you cut out the sounds of passing by cars you could probably hear the faint rolling waves of the tide coming in. Zoro turned back to face the door, the silver lettering ‘3 A’ stared back at him.

After a deep breath, Zoro knocked on the door.

There was a loud clanging noise followed by a voice yelling ‘SHIT’ from behind the door. After a few moments there was a pattering of flustered footsteps heading Zoro’s way before a metal ‘click’ at the door. The white door swung open, revealing a slightly tousled looking Sanji, who over a very smart outfit was wearing a frilly pink apron. As soon as the door opened an amazing smell ran to greet him from inside: Zoro had no idea what it was but it smelled _fantastic_.

“H-hey!” Sanji managed, panting oh so slightly.

Zoro snorted. “Nice apron, girly cook.”

“It is a nice apron, fuck you very much!” Sanji made a motion with his head for Zoro to follow him into the home as he turned away. Zoro took a moment to shamelessly stare at Sanji’s swaying hips and ass before he shut the door behind him. The cook may have looked a little disgruntled but he still looked handsome as always, and Zoro wouldn’t say it out loud but the disheveled Sanji was sexy as hell.

Zoro walked down the blue painted hallway to emerge into a nice open room, kitchen and living room connecting as one, all placed in front of a giant window that took up nearly all of the wall: the view peaked just above the rest of the city and had a spectacular view of the sea. A clattering sound came from the kitchen and Zoro turned his attention back to the cook, who was currently working away in the immaculate kitchen.

Sanji cooked like he fought: effortlessly. His body glided through the kitchen, his hands reaching out every now and then to grab something delicately beside him, working at a wicked speed. He slid over to the large stainless steel fridge and paused, poking his head in and began shuffling through the contents.

“Ahhh….. Shit.” The cook mumbled. Zoro sauntered into the kitchen, leaning against the granite counters. Sanji looked at Zoro then at his work on the stove that he had set to simmer with a scowl.

“I uh kinda forgot something for this recipe…” Sanji began, nervously playing with the frills of his apron absentmindedly. “Sooooo I’m going to run to the store real quick.”

“Real smooth shit cook.” Zoro grinned; Sanji blushed slightly and wriggled uncomfortably. “Want me to come?” Sanji’s head snapped up and his eyes lit up in amusement.

“Not this very minute, that can happen later tonight. First I need to go to the store.” The blond said cheekily with a smirk, already heading to the door. Zoro’s went flush as soon as he realized the innuendo.

“You pervert!” Zoro shouted after him. Sanji laughed and looked over his shoulder.

“There’s beer in the fridge, help yourself, sorry I forgot to offer sooner. I’ll be back in like five minutes; the store is right next door.” The door clicked shut and Zoro was alone. He grumbled to himself in embarrassment as he wandered over to claim a beer, trying to force the blush off his face.

Zoro took the opportunity to explore Sanji’s apartment, as the blond didn’t say he couldn’t. He looked at all the photos that around the mantle above a fireplace, just below a large TV. There were a few pictures of Sanji when he was younger, maybe about 10 years old or so. He was really fricken cute: floppy blond hair hung in front of a stubborn looking familiar face, his long limbs were stumpy, his face lacked the slight chubbiness that most children still held onto at that age. All the other pictures were of places, most of which were of that strange restaurant he worked at, a few were of the ocean.

A few more wandering steps led to Zoro discovering the blond’s bedroom, the well kept and tidy the room was well illuminated by another large window that was similar to the one in the living room. Zoro left the area and finally found himself seated on a nice leather couch in the living room, sipping quietly on his beer. It had been about 20 minutes and the cook wasn’t back yet.

            _What’s taking you so long swirly brow?_ Zoro typed into his phone agitatedly, bouncing his foot slightly in annoyance.

Another ten minutes passed. At this point Zoro had finished his beer and went back into the kitchen to retrieve another. He wondered if he should just go out and look for the stupid bastard himself, but he didn’t know exactly where the cook had gone and where he needed to look. Maybe the store was closed and he had to go a little further? But then why wouldn’t he text Zoro back and let him know? Was his phone off?

            _You okay shit cook? You didn’t get hit by a car or something right?_

Zoro stepped out of the apartment and looked out at the courtyard, searching for the blond moron to come walking in any minute. There was no sign of the man.

            _I’m seriously worried now, where are you?_

Zoro waited and waited but the blond didn’t return.


	6. The Text

Sanji hummed happily to himself as he left the store, holding the light groceries close to him. He’d have to make it up to Zoro for being such a scatter brain: he’d just been so worked up for this little date and his mind was in other places. He chuckled to himself for the umpteenth time when he thought back to his crude little joke before he had left out the door.

The color that Zoro’s face had turned was so perfect, the way his strong brow rose in complete surprise and narrow eyes widened, his mouth gaping open and closed oh so slightly like he wasn’t sure how to respond. He loved throwing curve balls like that at Zoro, every time the swordsman’s reaction exceeded Sanji’s expectations and brought him no end in joy.

Sanji went over what his innuendo obviously suggested, and he considered about how far tonight might actually go. Sanji really really really wanted to sleep with the moss head, so bad it made his bones ache, and would immediately jump at any offer. But was it too soon? They hadn’t even known each other for that long…

Did the swordsman want to take it slow? Or was he expecting Sanji to put out after Zoro risked his life for the other man? But then again the later didn’t sound like the swordsman at all, he knew that the other man had much more respect for Sanji than that. And Sanji wanted more than just a date or sex from Zoro. There was just this connection, this absolute attraction Sanji felt towards the other man and it made it difficult to keep his head on straight. He wasn’t used to the way his chest tightened whenever he so much as thought about the other man.

Zoro was the first man Sanji had ever wanted an actual relationship with, something more from: he was willing to invest a lot of time in Zoro, and he wanted that time to mean something. It was difficult to be confident in such unknown territory, but when it was with Zoro it was like everything came naturally.

A misstep on the side walk led to Sanji nearly tumbling out of his thoughts and into the small parking lot face first, but his impeccable balance managed to save him. When he stood up right Sanji quickly straightened out his shirt and looked around to see if anyone had seen his blunder.

“Oh my god! I can’t believe it!” A high pitch squeal came from behind. Sanji turned to face a young woman who was bouncing so fast that he could barely focus on her face, her dark long hair jumping with her, he was shocked the red flower tucked in her ear hadn’t fallen out.

“Umm… Can I help you?” Sanji said in a wobbly voice, trying to edge his way around the exuberant woman. She latched onto his arm, nearly knocking his bag out of his arms as she pulled him further into the back of the parking lot.

“I just can’t believe it’s you! Oh my god I love you so much, I’m like a huge fan!” She rambled, pushing Sanji into the direction of a large white van.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand my dear. If you could please let go of me, I need to go-”

“Wait, please please please. I know you’re like, super busy, I just want one picture!” The young lady flung the driver door open and began rummaging for something inside. The parking lot asphalt absorbed all the sun’s rays and spat them back out at Sanji, it was like he was under a magnifying glass being looked at by the sun. He shifted the weight on his legs back and forth, trying to remain patient in the heat but it was becoming more and more difficult. “I can’t believe I’m getting a picture with Duval, this is a dream come true!”

“I’m not-”

“Just one sec, please?! I just want one photo! I am such a huge fan, this is like the best day of my life.” The young lady shouted in a shrill voice from inside the van. “Hey, do you think you could grab a pen and paper for me? It should be right at the door of the van, thanks!”

Sanji sighed and placed his bag on the ground. It wasn’t the first time he had been mistaken for Duval, but this was by far the pushiest girl Sanji’d ever encountered. One photo wouldn’t hurt, but this girl was going to be so disappointed when she realized she bullied the wrong person into a picture.

He fumbled the white doors open, sweltering heat leaped onto him from the bowels of the cooking van. He was surprised to find that the vehicle was essentially empty, there were no seats set up in the back and there was definitely no pen and paper. Sanji felt a prickle at the back of his neck, something was wrong, really wrong.

Before he could turn around, there was a sharp pain in the back of his head and he fell forward, his forehead hitting the side of the van with a hollow ‘thunk’. He blinked back into consciousness a few seconds later, a sharp pulling pain coming from his left shoulder socket, the front of his shirt rucking up against the dirty carpet of the van as he realized he was being dragged inside.

“Ah shit, you’re still awake?” Sanji could barely make out the blurred outline of the once bubbly fan. His mind still foggy but growing into a panic, no matter how much he willed his limbs to move he couldn’t as if they were filled with lead.

He couldn’t do anything as the woman raised a baseball bat and brought it down on his head, smashing him into darkness. This time, he didn’t wake up.

 

* * *

 

 

“I think he bailed on you man.”

“I don’t know man… Why would he have? That just doesn’t sound right to me, Ace.” Zoro said gravelly, tapping his hand nervously against his wooden office desk.

“He’ll turn up today or tomorrow. He probably just panicked and fled. Do you know if he’d done it with guys before? If he’s a first timer it makes a little sense.” Ace suggested nonchalantly, Zoro rolled his eyes.

“He didn’t act like it, that’s for sure; he sounded like he was really up for this…” Zoro turned his chair to be able to look out his window, the pale blue sky stared back at him, the sun beginning to threaten sunset off in the distant hills. “Ace I really liked this guy… What did I do wrong?”

Ace sighed heavily through the phone. “Look, Zoro, I don’t think it was anything you did… If I were you, I’d just forget about it, they guy isn’t worth it. Alright, I gotta go, I’m needed on set. Talk you later.” The call ended with a sharp click.

“Bye…” He said into the empty receiver, and then placed his phone tiredly on his desk. The office was stale and cold, despite the heat trying to seep inside. Zoro threw off his white tee-shirt and flung it to the corner of his office as he stood, stomping over to the door and flinging it open.

His breathing quickened, he could feel his limbs thrum with energy, but whether he was angry or sad or what he wasn’t sure. His chest ached and he felt like there were sandbags on his shoulders, but there was a throbbing against his temple like he was ready to start a fight. He was confused. He was hurt. He was upset. And he didn’t know who to blame: Sanji, or himself.

Zoro opened the doors to his empty studio, making his way over to the closet where he kept his weights. The cool metal of the weight felt good against his hot skin, attempting to calm him down. He took a deep breath and raised the bar over his head with two hands, then brought it down in a basic kendo-strike. In times of doubt, his training always helped him clear his head.

He raised it up again, and thought of the first time he met Sanji, how incredible the man was. He had felt like he was trapped in one of those silly chick flicks and just couldn’t take his eyes away. But he guessed that attraction wasn’t mutual. He brought the weight down.

The first time he sparred with Sanji. He’d never fought anyone like him; he hadn’t been challenged like that in so long. In that fight he had wanted Zoro’s approval in his skill and Zoro would be damned if he said the cook hadn’t earned it.

When he caught a glimpse of the blonde cooking and just how amazing he was at it, being able to see his real talents.

He thought of every smile that had been sent his way.

Every insult, their little name calling wars.

Every time his heart skipped a beat.

With a low growl he brought the weight down for a final time, releasing it from his tight grip and dropping it nonchalantly on the floor.

His arms were screaming at him, he could feel his pulse in them with every slight movement he made. Sweat dripped down his face and neck, small drops falling to the floor. He set the weight down, unaware of just how hard he had been breathing as his chest fought to finally catch up with him. 

Zoro wearily made his way back up to his office, grabbing the shirt he’d thrown off earlier to wipe some of the cooling sweat off himself. He blearily searched for his bags, he’d tossed them somewhere in this damn room…

He supposed he couldn't just drive home half-naked, so he grudgingly put on his abused damp shirt. He sauntered over to his desk to grab his phone when it lit up, vibrating on top of the desk.

Sanji’s name flashed across the screen. Zoro snatched up the phone and quickly swiping in his pass code. The message was short and simple, and it made Zoro’s heart drop.

_Sent at 2 PM_

                        _HELP I’M TRAPPED_


	7. The Warning

Consciousness crashed into Sanji like a sudden brick wall on a freeway, disastrously and painfully. Dank moldy musk forced its way into his nose, the thick dusty air tickling his nose so that he scrunched up his face as he tried to open his heavy eyes. Sanji didn’t have to see his face to know that it was swollen: he could feel the mounting pressure around his eyes and lips like he had been sleeping on his face. Through a pounding headache he could barely make out the feeling of water slowing dripping down his face and hair, his soaked shirt clinging to his shoulders uncomfortably.

His left ear was ringing, he wasn’t sure if he could hear out of it, but it was hard to focus on it above the unbelievably awful throbbing from his left temple. The poorly lit world around him was spinning, it was like the worst hang over he’d ever had x 10.

Sanji tried to bring up his hand to hold his aching head, but found his hands unable to move, a burning pain coming from his wrists and shoulders becoming more and more noticeable as he realized he was tied to a concrete pillar.

He pulled his protesting head up to see a woman standing in front of him, empty bucket in her slim hands, her stance wide and powerful. Sanji realized she was talking to him, her high voice adding to his throbbing head.

“Got it?” She finished, smartly flipping her jet black perfect curls back behind her shoulder.

“Huh?” Sanji stuttered, his tongue felt dry despite the moisture that lingered in the air of whatever this place was. Sanji felt his heart grow cold in fear as he fragments of a memory began to piece together in his slowly rising to panic mind.

He remembered Zoro. Zoro showing up at his door for a date, looking totally cute and whatever, and he had been cooking. He ran out of something in the kitchen and went to the store. Then… Then he met that girl, that fan girl or something… That white van… Being hit in the head…

He’d been kidnapped.

Holy fucking shit he’d been kidnapped.

Suddenly it was getting harder to breath, the musty air made it feel like he was breathing through a thick cotton blanket, suffocating him.

“Who the hell are you?!” He gasped out, the panic constricting his chest. The woman huffed in annoyance and chucked the bucket in her hands at him, hitting Sanji on the edge of his jaw smartly. The tin bucket bounced away loudly, hitting the concrete and rolling away, the noise echoing in the large room.

“Don’t play games with me, you wannabe star!” She shrieked. “Don’t even pretend you don’t know who I am! Don is gonna make you pay for how you screwed him over!”

“Wha-wait just what?”

A powerful kick was planted into Sanji’s stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs. Sanji wheezed heavily, bending forward in pain.

“Quit stuttering.” She said coldly. “Don will be down here soon, and you’re gonna pay.”

She turned dramatically, her short skirt and long hair flowing gracefully behind her, the large gun at her waist bounced lightly against her hip. Her heels clicked loudly against the floor with each step she took. Sanji couldn’t find words to call after her, still coughing and panting to recover from the kick.

She slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Sanji in almost complete shrouding darkness. His limbs wanting to thrash out in panic, heart rate sky rocketing and he began to hyperventilate. What the hell was going on?!

Sanji arched his back to try to break whatever it was that bound his arms behind that pillar, his shoulders and arms screaming out at him from the effort. After a few more minutes of struggling, he let his tired body collapse. He forced his lungs to take in deep, shaking breaths.

He had to clear his mind, he needed to think rationally and calm down.

Calm down.

With enough restraint he slowed his breathing, closing his eyes and focusing on expanding his chest to take in more air.

Sanji’s fingers twitched against the cold floor: he really needed a goddamn cigarette, the need for nicotine causing him to involuntarily twitch here and there.

With a final over the top deep breath, he opened his eyes.

His gaze swept over the dark room. No windows. One door. In the distant corner of the room he could here water dripping onto the floor. He must be in a basement.

Now, who the hell was that lady? She obviously thought Sanji knew her, but her smooth pale face and wide dark eyes rung no bells in his head. Sanji was sure he’d remember a girl who wore what looked like a strange version of maid outfit and goggle-like glasses: her look was hard to forget.

So she knows him but he doesn’t know her. Or at least, she thinks she knows him: she probably thought she was talking to Duval.

Right, he wasn’t kidnapped as Sanji, he was mistaken for Duval.

Sanji wanted to grind the heels of his palms into his eyes groaning. Curse that shitty bastard, he doesn’t look THAT much like the other man.

Sanji cast his eyes back over to the door. So, these people have issues to take up with Duval. What the hell had Duval done? Seriously, what the fuck?

Sanji let out a sigh and leaned back to rest his head against the pillar he was bound to. As he moved, he felt something shift in his back pocket.

“Oh you have to be shitting me…” He said aloud in disbelief. That woman had forgotten to check his pockets. Sanji grinned to himself as he bent his leg back and nudged the phone out of his pocket with his foot. The phone fell to the floor quietly, making little noise as Sanji dragged the phone to the front of him.

Shoving the phone onto one foot with the other, he carefully brought the phone to his knee.  The slick metal phone case slid off and onto the floor.

“Ah fuck.” He muttered, looking disdainfully back at the phone. With a short huff he went back to trying to maneuver the phone onto his knee.

“That’s it…. Merde!”

“Oh fuck me, come on!”

He scolded himself mentally, he needed to keep it down but it was hard to as this simple fucking task was frustrating as fuck. Finally, he balanced the phone on his knee, working to secure it with the other.

Sanji leaned down and pressed the center button of his iphone with his nose, unlocking the password in a similar fashion. He knew he looked stupid, like a fucking chicken or something, but it worked and no one was in the room to see him.

He was ready to dial 9-1-1 when he could hear distant, hollow footsteps and realized he couldn’t risk the noise. Rushing, he opened up a new message and typed the first thing that came to mind,

HELP I’M TRAPPED

The distant footsteps weren’t so distant anymore, and Sanji quickly sent it to recent recipients and slid the phone off his knee and onto the floor. He pushed the phone back behind him and sat on it, just as the metal door flung open.

Light outlined a tall shadowy figure, wearing theatrical sunglasses and a massive jacket made of what looked like feathers.

“Well well, Duval, nice to see you again!” The man said happily, his gleeful tone of voice out of place and just downright creepy. He menacingly paced towards where Sanji was sitting, each careful and quiet step bringing him uncomfortably closer, the man’s wicked large grin reflecting the little light there was eerily.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Snarled Sanji and the man froze, that cruel grin turning upside down into a toothy grimace.

“Who is this?” He asked lowly. From beside the door, a young woman stepped forward into the light, Sanji’s eyes widened when he realized it was the girl who had beaten and driven off with him.

“What are you talking about, sir?” Her voice was calm, cold, nothing like the bubbly persona she had put on in the parking lot.

“I asked, who is this?” The man’s voice was calm but his demeanor betrayed him, his figure still and rigid like he was holding back.

“He’s the actor you asked for, Duval.”

“This-” He said with a wild gesture towards Sanji, “-IS NOT DUVAL!”

Sanji saw a look of panic flash across the young woman’s face, but it was quickly swallowed up by stoic professionalism.

“This is the man you described to me.”

“YOU STUPID BITCH!” He roared, lashing out and striking the woman with a long leg, her figure crumpled to the ground. “This man is a double!”

Sanji felt rage bubble up in his chest as he watched the large man pull back his leg to kick her a second time, the impact making an audible crunching sound coming from her side. Sanji felt like he was going to be sick, listening to the gut wrenching cries that escaped her lips. She may have been his kidnapper, but Sanji couldn’t bear to watch this beating any longer.

“H-HEY!” Sanji yelled, pulling uselessly against his restraints. “Leave her the fuck alone!”

The assailant whipped around to see Sanji scowling at him. The man stood up straight, his look boring into Sanji’s skin.

“I almost forgot about you.” He said in a frighteningly calm voice. Sanji felt his angry boiling blood grow cold as the man approached. His arm shot out, latching onto Sanji’s jaw tightly and forcing him to look up at the man with terrified eyes.

“Soooo….” The man purred. “What to do with you? Use you as a warning? Or simple do away with you?”

Sanji felt his chest and throat constrict like he had forgotten how to breathe, he could hear his fearful heartbeat drumming in his ear. The other man stooped lower to be almost eye level with Sanji. Then Sanji remembered his legs were free.

He kicked straight up, right into the towering man’s diaphragm, and followed up with a clean shot from his left leg to the man’s clavicle that Sanji swore he heard snap in two. The man yowled and wheezed, but Sanji was shocked to see the massive grin across the man’s face.

“You made the choice easier!” The man nodded to the crumpled mess of his previous victim. “Violet! Take him to the second level, get him ready for Sugar. We’ll talk about your future here later.”

The man proudly stood and walked from the room with head held high, despite most likely having a few broken bones and some nasty bruises forming at the least.

A pained voice drew Sanji’s attention back to the woman on the floor, Violet.

“Are you okay?” He offered weakly as she shakily sat up. He knew it was stupid to ask, of course she wasn’t okay, but he couldn’t help but ask. He was surprised when he saw her actually stand, though she stumbled a few times, she made her way over to him.

“I’m fine.” She mumbled as she knelt down behind him, grabbing a long chain that had been resting by the pillar. She quietly chained Sanji’s waist to the pillar, he could hear her breath catch in pain or a small moan would spill out of her mouth every now and then. Once his upper body was stuck in place, she began to carefully unbind his hands.

“Who is that guy?” He asked softly, gentle hands slowly pulling his own free.

“He is Doflamingo.”

“Wait you mean, Donquixote Doflamingo? Head of Donquixote movie productions? You have to be joking!” Sanji exclaimed, trying to twist his head around to look at Violet to see if her face was serious or not.

“The one and the same.” She said dismally. “Do anything when your hands are free and I will shoot you.” She added loudly, loud enough that Sanji wasn’t sure the words were aimed at him. There was a sharp ‘snap!’ and his aching hands were released. Sanji groaned in relief as he brought his hands towards him, flexing his tired digits carefully. Angry red indents covered his wrists, blotchy purple-pink bruises were already beginning to show up, but all in all his hands were okay.

“I know it’s none of my business but I have to ask, why would you work for a man who would do that to you?”

Violet stood and came around before him, her expression sad but still stoic.

“Believe me, I do not want to be here” She guided Sanji’s arms behind his back as he grudgingly obliged, handcuffing his hands together. Sanji couldn’t help but notice the generous space he was granted between the hard metal and his wrist, so much he could almost…

He shot her a questioning look as she freed Sanji from the pillar, but kept the chain around his torso so that it became a makeshift leash. She ignored him and tugged on the chain, urging him to stand. As he did, Sanji secretly grabbed his phone and shoved it between his belt buckle and his hips where it would be hidden.

He must not have been discrete enough when he saw Violet’s eyes on the phone at his hip, but she turned away as if she hadn’t noticed.

“Follow me and stay quiet.” She instructed, turning towards the door. Once through the door, the immediately began ascending a flight of dingy looking stairs. At the top, Sanji was greeted with the glares of two burly looking men who had to have been stationed as guards. When they walked through another metal door, bright natural light momentarily blinded him.

A sharp gust of wind pulled at Sanij’s hair, dancing through the hollow and empty space he had just entered. Evidence of construction work was littered all around him, stacks of metal beams here, piles of concrete bags there. The building didn’t even look finished, to Sanji’s right the wall was only half built, offering a view of an abandoned construction site outside.

A few men were mulling about as they crossed the room, Sanji’s chains clinking slightly as he walked, fighting off nasty looks that were sent his way. Violet was silent in front of him

When they turned the corner, Sanji was faced with yet another flight of stairs.

The top opened up into an empty hallway. Violet tilted her head slightly in Sanji’s direction, whispering,

“We don’t have much time so you need to listen. I’m going to drop you off in a well hidden room, from there we-”

She stopped short when the sound of footsteps came ambling towards form behind, the unmistakable laughter of that man Doflamingo resonating up to them. Sanji made brief eye contact with Violet, before she grabbed his wrist and hustled him through a doorframe of a random room. They hid holding their breath with their backs against the incomplete stony wall as the footsteps grew closer.

“So we’re going to be switching plans, since she snagged the wrong blond. Either way, we’re still on schedule as planned.”

“What about Duval himself-ya?”

“He’ll be too scared to do anything by the end of this, we don’t have to worry about him.”

The men were just outside the doorframe now, their shadows cast room as they passed. A bead of sweat trickled down Sanji’s still face, his heart beating hard enough he was sure Violet could hear it beside him.

As their shadows left the room Sanji allowed himself the release the nervous breath he had been holding in. He looked down at Violet and gave a small relieved smile, who returned the favor.

Then Sanji’s phone went off.

The footsteps in the hallway stopped.

“What the hell was that?”

 

 


	8. The Plan

Zoro glowered down at the phone in his hand, Sanji’s message still open after five minutes of staring bleakly at the message.

HELP I’M TRAPPED

Despite Zoro’s initial response to panic, the text may not be as serious: the moron could be locked in the bathroom for all he knew.

The text didn’t make any sense, and there was no follow up, just that out of the blue message and then nothing. No ‘Zoro I’m so sorry’ or ‘hey Zoro sorry I ditched you like that’ or not even ‘I just can’t be with you right now I hope you understand’. Or how about ‘I’m sorry I broke your heart back there I’m a total asshole jerk face and I should have made my intentions clear from the beginning’!

Zoro’s phone began to squeak and creak in protest in his hand as he tried to normalize his blood pressure. He was pissed at Sanji, hurt, and really pissed. But what made him angrier than anything was the fact that the second he got that text, he was ready to spring into action and out the door for the stupid man who just stood him up.

It made his chest tighten in pain to know that Sanji wouldn’t do the same for him. Sanji didn’t feel the same. Sanji didn’t care.

The thought was like a punch to the gut.

Just talking to Sanji had made him happy, being in the presence of the foul mouthed blond. He liked the deep and thoughtful look the blond would make just before starting an attack. He was so drawn to the fact that the man was actually genuine with Zoro… Or at least he thought Sanji was being genuine.

And yet, he still wanted to reply. But he shouldn’t. He needed to stay made and make sure that Sanji knew he was mad.

…One text wouldn’t hurt.

Before he could change his mind, he was typing in the simple sentence of _Where are you?_ and quickly hitting send.

The moment he hit the button he tossed his phone like it had burned him. God fucking dammit he shouldn’t have done that. As he frantically pulled at his hair in frustration, there was a loud crashing sound as the door to the studio below was flung open so hard Zoro thought for sure the glass would shatter.

“ZOROOOOO!”

Zoro raced to the window to look down at an upset and jumping Luffy, looking like his neck was going to snap from the speed that he was looking around.

“What the hell do you want Luffy?” He growled, gaining the immediate attention of the estatic spaz.

“Sabo is looking for you, you need to come with me to our apartment ASAP!” He yelled, hoping from foot to foot.

“Sabo’s in town? I thought he wasn’t back in town another month?” Zoro questioned, quickly descending the stairs to his gym. As he walked through the door Luffy snatched him by the wrist and was practically dragging him to the exit.

“I didn’t really understand what Sabo was saying so I’ll let him fill you in when we get there!” Luffy said urgently, before stopping in his tracks causing Zoro to nearly plow into the smaller man. “Grab your swords, you’re gonna need them!” After giving a puzzled look Zoro quickly obliged.

Out of the studio they ran to Luffy’s poorly parked battered and dented red jeep, the front end of the car half way over the side walk. The moment Luffy turned on the engine the pungent acrid smell of diesel invaded the car as they flew out of the parking spot. Zoro had to hold onto his swords tightly in fear of them being jostled out the window.

 

After running up five flights of stairs and down a hallway of the Gray T. Appartment building, they finally reach the penthouse, where Luffy hastily kicked open the door.

“I got Zoro!” He announced loudly, turning all the heads in the room as Zoro entered. The room had a smoky undertone, the scent lingering in the upholstery. Gathered in the living room was a small crowd, including Luffy’s older brother’s Sabo and Ace, as well as a trembling Usopp to Zoro’s surprise.

Sabo stood from his spot, extending a hand out to Zoro in a friendly gesture, though there was worry etched into his face Sabo still wore a kind smile.

“Hey Zoro, been a while huh?” Zoro accepted the hand and nodded curtly, taking a seat next to Ace, whose impatient bouncing foot was practically shaking the whole couch. Sabo remained standing.

“So as all of you guys know, I’ve been working undercover these past few months…” Sabo began awkwardly, his words too slow and methodical. “I was assigned to remain undercover for another 4 weeks, but recent events have changed these plans.” Zoro began to methodically massage his temple, he could already feel an oncoming headache.

“I’m sorry Sabo, but seriously can you stop beating around the bush and just tell me why I need to be here?” Zoro interjected. The tension Sabo was giving off was making Zoro anxious, like he needed to be on guard and on his toes.

“Yeah, you still haven’t told me why I’m here, what’s going on?” Usopp agreed hastily, wringing his hands nervously.

“Sabo’s been investigating a fraud case with a very wealthy and powerful organization. Usopp, you’ve had a pretty bad run in with these guys actually, and you’re one of the reasons Sabo had to change plans.” Ace explained not too calmly, he looked like he was ready to pounce on someone. Usopp’s face paled considerably.

“M-me?!” Usopp squeaked weakly. “Who are you even talking about?!”

“The Donquixote Family.” Sabo said darkly. “You’re newest production screwed them over in some investments, you’re probably number one on their hit list right now.”

“HIT LIST?!” Usopp looked like he was ready to pass out. “You say that like they’re a mafia or something!” Ace snorted.

“They’re something like that… They may make movies and shit, but they double as a secret drug cartel.”

Zoro turned to the freckled man next to him. “How do you know so much about this?” Ace shrugged.

“I just keep tabs on Sabo I guess… And read his notes and files when they’re left on the coffee table.”

“Donquixote productions have a sinister history, but their tracks are covered and clean. Hence why I’m undercover, trying to dig up evidence to compile against them.” Sabo said, ignoring Ace. “Like I said, they’re pissed at Usopp, which is why after this Usopp will be under the protection of the police. Donquixote productions are also angry at the star of Usopp’s movie, Duval.” Warning bells began going off in Zoro’s head, ringing unpleasantly in his ears.

“Why would they be mad at an actor?” Zoro questioned, not realizing he was leaning farther out of his seat.

“When it became clear to them that Usopp’s work was going to become a problem, they tried other tactics to make it go under. For one, they tried to bribe Duval out of it. But Duval’s loyalty is something to marvel, and he didn’t walk out of his contract with the movie.”

Zoro saw Usopp nod attentively, a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

“That makes a lot of sense actually. Duval had been pretty insistent on an increase in security around the set, but he refused to give any reasons…”

“Another stunt they pulled was on a set, Zoro you and Luffy were there actually. The fire.” Zoro eyes widened, staring in shock at Sabo’s serious face.

“You mean to tell me that wasn’t an accident?!” He snarled. Sabo just nodded.

“Duval had been the intended target of that mishap, you and Luffy were not expected.” Sabo said grimly. Zoro gripped the sofa cushions beneath him till his knuckles turned white. He could have been killed. Sanji could have been killed. Who the fuck do these bastards think they are?!

“Why didn’t you do anything?!” Zoro demanded.

“You don’t think I would have?” Sabo snapped. “At the time I had no way of getting that information! I’m undercover but that doesn’t mean I have all the answers. But afterwards, I got promoted. I was let in on the next plan of attack: kidnap Duval.”

Zoro could feel the room getting colder, his heart pounding harder.

“So I got police involved, this kidnapping was what we needed to tie Donquixote productions down and launch a full and open investigation on them. We were prepared and Duval was safe.” Sabo paused. “What we didn’t anticipate, was them bagging the wrong man.”

Zoro’s heart dropped. He swallowed thickly, his throat felt dry and rough.

“What do you mean… They got the wrong man?”

“Well… They grabbed his stunt double.”

“What?” Zoro said quietly, the words striking him into near silence.

“They nabbed your boy, Sanji!” Ace yelled, his bottled up energy beginning to spill over. “That’s why we had Luffy being you here!”

Zoro forced himself to sit back and closed his eyes, digging the palms of his hands into his eyes till he saw colors. He could feel his heart in his throat, he slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his favorite white sword to try to find some comfort. Ace shifted next to him.

“Agh… Sorry for yelling…” Ace murmured apologetically, reining in his overwhelming aura. “At least this means Sanji didn’t mean to stand you up…”

“Not helping.”

Sabo cleared his throat. “The police are involved, we know where Sanji Black is being held and we’re going to move in on the area soon. I thought that Hollywood’s most skilled swordsman would like to join us.”

Zoro gave a cruel smirk, his hand falling down to the swords in his lap.

“Yes, he would.”

 

The black van jumped as it hit a pot hole, Zoro bounced in his cushy seat uncomfortably as the car sped on down the beat up road. Bits of rock and gravel occasionally hit the metal exterior of the van, clanking loudly with each rock’s impact. Dense California forestry covered the area to the left side of the road, the other side was completely clear cut and open.

Zoro anxiously rubbed patterns into the sheaths of his swords that were now strapped at his hip.

“Doflamingo is suddenly changing his plans, he knew that snatching up the wrong guy would throw in a new twist for him. Things are picking up, he has something planned…” Sabo explained over the crunching of the gravel and the van’s heavy motor.

“How the hell are we even going to get in?”

“My partner, Koala is there. She’s going to back door us in to do a little recon, grab the hostages and get out before heavy artillery arrives.”

“Sanji’s not the only one captive?” Zoro quirked an eye brow, trying to grasp the whole picture. It was all too political for him: fake investors, alliances, even government bribing.

“Technically. Doflamingo has several unwilling subordinates currently under his thumb. The one we’re looking for is Violet Riku. Donquixote nabbed the Riku’s land, using it as a drug export because of its favorable location on the ocean. Doflamingo controls the area under threat of taking Violet’s father’s life and keeps Violet in check himself.”

“These guys sound horrible, like straight out of a comic book villainous. How are they even real?”

Sabo chuckled lightly.

“Oh wait till you see Doflamingo himself, he really takes the cake.”

Outside Zoro’s window to the right looked like the edges of suburbia. The van was taking a beaten path just outside the walled off community that looked so clean Zoro could almost smell the chemical cleaning products. The happy colors of the homes felt deceiving, it made Zoro’s stomach uneasy.

“Doflamingo owns this whole little town, pretty ridiculous isn’t it? It’s a total cover up if I ever saw it.” Ace muttered in the seat in front of Zoro. Next to Ace, Luffy turned around in his seat to face Zoro.

“Zoro, you going to be okay?” He asked, touching a hand to the battered straw hat resting on his head. Zoro just nodded, keeping his eyes locked outside.

“Sanji’s going to be okay.”

Zoro looked up to meet Luffy’s eyes, the confident look in those brown eyes was reassuring, he supposed Luffy had always had that effect on him.

“Yeah, I know.” Luffy grinned in return, swinging back around to the front of the car.

“Yosh! I’m gonna kick ‘mingo’s ass!”

Zoro smiled along, Luffy was right about that, Doflamingo was going to pay.

Zoro shifted his gaze to Sabo, who sat reading over papers in the passenger seat, persistently brushing his wavy hair out of his down-looking eyes.

“Sabo, how is this legal? I mean, how is it okay for you to involve ‘civilians’ like this?” Zoro inquired, causing Sabo to look up to flash Zoro a grin.

“I’ve been allowed to gather a task force, all three of you guys are technically experts in your field, even if the field isn’t necessarily relevant.”

“So you found a loop hole, kind of.”

“Big enough of one to keep me out of trouble.” Sabo jested, returning back to his plans. “Just don’t break any serious laws without reason.”

“I’ll try not to.” Zoro said lowly, only half joking. It wasn’t completely his fault if someone accidently fell against his blade when they were in his way. Zoro was just going there for Sanji, as long as he got Sanji he was happy. And Sanji had better be okay.

 


End file.
